Spain energy policy

Iberdrola has asked the Energy Minister to authorise the closure of its thermal power plants in Lada, Asturias and Velilla in Palencia, the only two operational coal power plants the group has left. With their closure, it will conclude the process of shutting down its thermal plants across the globe.

Spain’s energy minister, Alvaro Nadal, has explained current week in a meeting with companies from Spanish electricity market that he is betting on a mix of competitive electricity generation which takes advantage of all kinds of technology, including coal and nuclear.

The majority of the population in Spain put the blame for their excessively high electricity bills exclusively on the electricity companies which, in the end, only get paid a third of the bill for generation. This situation has enraged the companies who are more and more daring in their criticisms of the government – the current and previous ones – for their energy policies.